Court sketch of Lori Vallow Daybell and her two attorneys as her trial continues in Boise, Idaho on April 4, 2023. (Pool sketch artist)
BOISE, Idaho — An Idaho judge has ruled the court will broadcast the verdict in the Lori Vallow Daybell case when it is read. KSL NewsRadio and KSL TV will carry it live.
7th District Judge Steven W. Boyce issued the ruling Tuesday, saying the need for a continued gag order is “absolved upon the conclusion of the presentation of evidence and closing arguments in this case.”
For more than two years, the courtroom was wide open and almost anyone could take a virtual seat and watch the latest developments as the Idaho case against Vallow Daybell and Chad Daybell got closer to trial.
News outlets like KSL TV, along with the Idaho courts, ran live broadcasts of the hearings marked by immense public interest and bizarre, tragic allegations involving the deaths of two children and their mother’s doomsday beliefs.
Click here for complete coverage of the Lori Vallow Daybell trial
But in September, Boyce banned news cameras in the case going forward, siding with Vallow Daybell’s defense attorneys, who argued the video could prevent a fair trial.
That gag order has remained in effect as the trial continues into its third week. Tuesday marks the 20th day of testimony in the trial for Daybell. Nicole Heideman, a tactical specialist with the FBI, is testifying about digital information found in their investigation.
Vallow Daybell is charged with murder, conspiracy and grand theft in the deaths of her two children, 7-year-old JJ Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan. She is also charged with conspiracy in connection with the death of Tammy Daybell, her new husband’s previous wife. Chad Daybell is charged with murder for the same three deaths.